Part Three

            You can imagine our surprise when we walked into an abandoned lab. Or at least it seemed abandoned at first. The room was painted white and cluttered with stainless steel tables. There were two rows of tables, three in each row. It looked as though the county medical examiner worked here.

            After a few minutes of looking around, we realized that there was another room to the lab. Jason put his pointer finger to his lips, and then he motioned for us to follow him. We tiptoed past one row of medicinal tables and moved towards the next room.

A quick glance around the room made me realize how we’d just barely escaped a horrific ending. I recognized a few of the riders who’d been with us just a while ago. In truth, it was amazing that I was able to recognize any of them.

“What happened to them?” Devon asked with a tone of horror that mirrored the way I felt.

Each passenger was strapped to a seat. Some of them had skin tinted blue, others had skin colored a sickly yellow. I looked closely at one rider; an old man. He’d been stripped down to his underwear. His veins protruded abnormally from his naked arms, legs, and neck. His stomach was bloated; distended grotesquely. His tongue dangled from his mouth, and his head slanted backward as if he was staring at the drop ceiling.

Heads lolled against chests, and urine pooled beneath each chair. The smell in this room was rank and sickening. It wasn’t long before I had to cover my nose with my hand.

“Hey, look at this,” Jason said, covering his nose with his palm. I gave an unintentional shiver before I joined the guys at a nearby counter. Jason was pointing at a journal of sorts; it was a record of what had transpired in the last few hours. “They injected these people with a virus!”

“I think we should leave,” I said, tugging on Jason’s sleeve. “If they catch us in here…” I trailed off, letting Jason and Devon think what they wanted to think. God knows my imagination is much too creative to speculate about our fates should we be caught. Given what I’d seen thus far, I could come up with several scenarios. None of which had positive outcomes.

“Fine,” Jason agreed with a nod. “But I’m taking this dang diary! We should have evidence to show the police when we get out of here.” Jason closed the journal, reached behind his back, and slid it into the waistband of his jeans.

“It’s a deal!” Devon hissed urgently. “Leah is right. Let’s get the heck out of here!” Devon swung the machine gun off his shoulder and took the lead. The grisly scene around us had gotten to him. He was now prepared to shoot if it would get the three of us out of this illegal madhouse.

***

            “What do you think they’re using the virus for?” Jason whispered to me as we moved through another tunnel.

The exit from the lab had led us into the darkest tunnel yet. It was a shame we hadn’t spotted a flashlight in the lab.

“Who knows and who cares?” I shot back at him. My hands were still shaking for cripes sake! “Maybe the government is running things. How can we be sure who it’s safe to give the journal to? Maybe the local cops are in on it.”

“We could call the FBI,” he suggested.

“Will you two shut up?” Devon commented over his shoulder. “We’re approaching another intersection. Someone could hear you!”

“Too late,” a voice said behind us. A flashlight blinked on and we turned to face it. Instantly, we were blinded. “I suggest you don’t move,” the voice recommended in a harsh tone. “After all, my gun is ready to fire. Should you shoot your gun, my friend, you’ll shoot the talkative couple in front of you.”

“What difference does it make? You’re just going to kill us anyway,” Devon responded angrily.

“You’re right about that,” the man agreed. I could hear him stepping closer to us. Then the tunnel lit up. The man had flipped a switch. A row of overhead lights gave the tunnel an eerie glow and finally showed us who was threatening our lives.

“Brad?” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here? Why are you involved in this?” My heart was hammering in my chest! I may have only dated Brad for a short time, but I definitely hadn’t pegged him as the psycho guard type.

“It’s a small world, isn’t it, Leah?” Brad asked me with raised eyebrows and a condescending smirk.

“You’re a guard here?” I asked hesitantly. “Do you have any idea what you’re guarding? Do you know what these lunatics are doing to innocent people? Is this why you broke up with me?”

“You’re a little too goody two-shoes for me, Leah. Plus, this is for a good cause,” he informed me cockily. He’d thrust out his chest, and he was approaching quickly. He was wearing knee-high, black boots and a uniform. He looked like a state trooper. “These scientists are testing a virus that we can eventually use on other countries.”

“At what cost?” Jason demanded to know. I’d noticed that Jason had edged to the right, little by little, while Brad and I talked.

“It’s a small cost, really,” Brad claimed with a shrug.

“Is it injected into the victim?” Jason asked.

“They drink it. The virus is being made to contaminate large supplies of water. They’re close to perfecting it,” Brad informed us. He was wearing a proud expression.

“Aren’t viruses like that a dime a dozen by now?” I queried with my hands on my hips. The conversation was starting to get on my nerves. Specifically, Brad’s callous attitude was grating on my patience.

“Not one that spreads as quickly as this one!” Brad responded sarcastically, as if I was an idiot. “This thing will be able to cancel out an entire country in twenty-four hours!”

“Can I say something?” Devon asked.

“Sure,” Brad answered with a shrug. He was acting like he was being generous by allowing Devon’s comment.

“Do you two remember what the bear did to me?” Devon asked me and Jason.

Simultaneously, Jason and I dropped to the ground. We’d interpreted Devon’s remark perfectly. He suddenly charged forward and shot at a totally baffled Brad, who was taken off guard.

Devon’s aim was surprisingly accurate. Brad got off one shot but it merely managed to extinguish one of the overhead lights as he fell backward. Devon ran over to Brad and kicked the gun out of reach.

Jason and I got to our feet. We brushed ourselves off and breathed sighs of relief.

“And I thought you would shoot yourself in the foot if anyone ever gave you a gun!” I joked with a shake of my head. “Thanks for saving us, Devon.”

“I’m thinking we can thank him later,” Jason said with palms up.

“Right again,” Devon agreed, racing over to us. “Let me lead again, now that I’ve broken my gun in.” Devon’s tone held regret. Clearly, killing Brad was something that would haunt him for life. I knew that it would haunt me.

***

            Traveling through the tunnels after our confrontation with Brad was unnerving. I nearly passed out from sheer relief when Devon announced, “It’s the park! We found the park!” He chucked the machine gun off to the side, just inside the tunnel. Then he ducked out, into the park.

            Jason and I followed, holding hands. Though I’d known Jason since the first grade, I suddenly felt closer to him. I guess what they say about tragedy bringing people closer is true . Jason gave my hand a squeeze. It felt more intimate than his usual reassuring gesture. The smile that followed gave me tingles.

            Devon glanced back at us with a knowing expression. He stopped walking for a beat to wait up for us. Then he punched Jason playfully on the arm and commented, “Can you believe it? It’s the exit! We actually made it out alive. We were just on the roller coaster from hell, we nearly drowned, and we were shot at; but we made it out alive. Is that stamina or is that luck?”

            “I say luck,” Jason responded with a grin. He ran his fingers through his hair and guessed, “Maybe your days of being clumsy are over, Dev. I mean, you really kicked butt back there. I’m positive I wouldn’t have been able to ambush those guards without you. Then you took out Brad. No way would I have had the guts to shoot him.”

            “Sure you would have,” Devon offered.

            “I don’t know,” Jason said with a wave of his hand. He stopped walking to get Devon’s full attention. “Has this helped you decide what you want to do this fall?”

            “You know, actually it has.” Devon clapped and then rubbed his hands together with anticipation. “I’m anxious to tell my parents. I’ve decided on criminal justice. I want to be a man in blue. Maybe I’ll get a female partner that looks kickin’ in her uniform!”

            “You wish,” I said with a laugh. Then we all laughed as we moved towards the exit.

            We’d just passed the brick pillars at the exit when a man in uniform stepped in front of us. “That’s far enough,” he told us. He was wearing a smug expression. Two men in uniform moved up beside him. The one who’d spoken was wearing a different cap than the men to his sides. My guess was that we were finally meeting the man in charge. I knew I was right when he ordered, “The three of you will come with us. Don’t make a scene or my men will shoot you right here and now.”

            “If we go with you, you’ll shoot us anyway,” Devon pointed out with an icy tone. “So why don’t we just do it here. That way you can have the pleasure of explaining your actions to all these people. Not to mention how the story of us being shot in cold blood in the parking lot of a new amusement park will make headlines.”

            “We just want the journal,” the man claimed. He had a handlebar moustache and it twitched when he lied, “We have no intention of killing you.”

            “What makes you think we have it?” I asked with a nonchalant shrug.

            The man reached into a large pocket on his uniform and pulled out a video tape. He held it up and shook it. “Surveillance,” he told us. We must have had surprised looks on our faces, because he elaborated, “What? You actually think we’d conduct illegal experiments and then do nothing to protect our interests?”

            “You’re killing innocent people,” Devon stated bitterly.

            The man glanced over his shoulder and shared a grin with one of his men before giving us his response. “I have no intention of arguing with a bunch of teenagers. The three of you couldn’t possibly grasp what we’re doing here. I certainly don’t have to justify our actions to simpletons who have no stake in the outcome. Now give me the journal.” To emphasize his order, he held out a gloved hand.

            Devon gave me and Jason a meaningful look. I knew what Devon meant us to do. He wanted us to rush the man and his men. If they were going to kill us, it might as well be in front of the milling throngs in the parking lot. The nod I gave Devon in agreement was barely noticeable. I kept my hand linked with Jason’s. We shared a glance and a quick hand-squeeze. I took a deep breath to fortify myself, and then we charged straight at the uniformed men.

***

            Jason and I were able to clothesline the man in charge with our linked hands. He went down hard! We heard his skull crack against the pavement, but we kept running.

As if he’d been playing football his whole life, Devon shouldered one of the armed men violently. The man went down and began firing straight into the air. People were screaming and running; it was complete chaos. Fear was a gray cloud that surged into the parking lot and settled on every head.

            Jason, Devon, and I ran as fast as we could. None of us remembered where we were parked. With everything that we’d been through, we’d easily lost our bearings. The plan was to get as far away from the armed men as possible.

            Then gunfire exploded behind us. The three of us turned as if we were one.

            I saw the pavement just in front of us being pummeled by gunfire. The writer in me thought the shots looked like water infested with piranhas. In their feeding frenzy, the water was bubbling as they moved towards us.

            Then I was knocked backwards by the force of the shots hitting my body. They were burning bites, ripping through my skin and flesh.

My last thought was that I’d lost Jason’s hand somehow. The only memory after that was the sound of the machine gun. It was close by, belching deafening blows.

“Leah! Leah! Wake up, for cripes sake!” someone was yelling. That someone was shaking me by the arm.

“What?” I mumbled, opening my eyes.

“You were having a nightmare,” Missy informed me. Her ponytail swung as she shook her head. “It must have been a whopper, too, because your whole body was writhing.”

I sat up and looked around wildly. A line of motorcycles was passing on the other side of the road. One of them was backfiring as it struggled to negotiate the slope – it sounded like gunfire.

Jason was driving and Devon was in the passenger seat. Best of all, Missy was alive! We were all alive!

“You weren’t dreaming about him were you?” Missy asked with an expression that said I better not have been.

I stared out the widow with disbelief. Seconds went by before I told her, “As far as I’m concerned…Brad is dead.”

            “Well that’s morbid, but I’m glad to hear it,” Jason commented over his shoulder. He winked at me, and then he gave his attention back to the windy road.

The End

Copyright 2008 – Sheila Roy